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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23574424">The Ascension of A Very Violent Elf and Friends</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShadowyMyths/pseuds/ShadowyMyths'>ShadowyMyths</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Heroes Are Just Lawful Good Adventurers. [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Dungeons &amp; Dragons (Roleplaying Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angry elf, BAMF Acdan, Bombs, Crazy Ideas, Dragons, Gen, Help, High Level Spellcasting, Homebrew Content, Magic, Multiverse, Post-Campaign, Suicide, Visiting The Hells, Weapons of Mass Destruction, Wizards, but not really, killing gods</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 21:02:04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>8,298</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23574424</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShadowyMyths/pseuds/ShadowyMyths</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Ever wonder what happened to Acdan to create what we have now? What about some of the other members? Well here's some answers!</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Gods &amp; Original Characters, Original D&amp;D Character(s) &amp; Original D&amp;D Character(s)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Heroes Are Just Lawful Good Adventurers. [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1693939</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Can't Leave You Alone For 2 Days.</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>The campaign has faded only the outcome remembered, but sometimes that is enough for a new story to unfold.<br/>Still a delve into the memories of a once mad man may provide some answers to old questions.<br/>Some of the old story and some of what happened after the dust settled.</p>
    </blockquote><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>After leaving for two days to heal a new member Acdan returns to see lots of animal prints and a set of cart tracks in camp.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>First week of the party adventure. It's a fuckin ride.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Ok. What the actual hells happened here?" Sean just shrugged his head. <br/>"I have no idea. You're the nature guy not me." We had just gotten back from the nearest town with a strong enough cleric to regenerate his arm after it was ripped off by a giant eagle and vulture he had massively pissed off.</p><p>Before me was a trashed campsite, a massive fire pit with a destroyed spit roast, the bones from what could only be the giant eagle corpse I left with the Bard and Cleric with, more animal tracks than I could attempt to follow as a Ranger, still fresh blood, signs of multiple stuggles in the area and a set of cart tracks. </p><p>After taking half an hour to investigate I reached the most logical conclusion. The morons tried to spit roast the bird all at once. That attracted the animals. Following a set of footprint into the forest and up to a set of trees gave the indication that they got spooked by the massive gathering of carnivores that the cooking meat had attracted and tried to hide themselves in the trees until morning. Oh, that was the bards snake dead on the ground. I wonder what killed it. </p><p>The cart tracks had a bunch of footprints around it. Hopefully the bandits were we hunting. 10 gold for lives of criminals.</p><p>"Wait... The idiots got abducted while we were gone. Fuuuuck!" I let out a sigh. <br/>Sean tried to be optimistic, "maybe they got lost?"<br/>"No. Those two could at least follow the smell of smoke"<br/>Hopefully they weren't caught because they were fighting again. Seriously they tried to kill each other the second they met and managed to piss a bear off in the process. What kind of Cleric sneaks up to some travelers and thinks 'teehee. I'm gonna spook em.' Then of course the Bard instantly retaliates with dancing lights to the face. Next thing I know their both fighting and the Cleric manages to fire off a guiding bolt and hit a godsdamned bear and piss that off too. Then I have to kill an innocent bear and beat the stupid out of two idiots.<br/>Not even an hour later this stupid wizard came running in after shooting firebolts into the sky and pissing off  all birds collectively. The dumbass brings them to us instead of dealing with his own fuck up. While we kill the birds while he bleeds out. When the fight is I cast cure wounds and he stops dieing but he's down an arm so the two of us go to the town he just came from because it had a temple.<br/>I left the the bard and Cleric alone thinking they could handle a modicum of responsibility but I was wrong. <br/>I turned to the Wizard. "If they died I'm blaming you before I kill all these bandits." <br/>The dipass nodded "sure whatever you say." It's almost like he believed I could fail. That's funny. "Oh by the by, what's your name?"<br/>"Acdan, yours?"<br/>"Sean. Glad to make your acquaintance."</p><p> </p><p>After following the tracks silently for 3 hours we find a old wooden fort. It was likely once impressive, a gatehouse made of strong oak, spiked parapets designed to be intimidating and provide cover from arrow fire, no trees for at least 10 meters and thick walls. The grass was high enough to reach my chest, seems like they haven't bothered with upkeep. They probably figured nobody could find them so they didn't have to waste time cutting grass. It probably was designed as an outpost dependant on a nearby castle. The walls weren't large enough to contain large stores of food, probably only twenty to thirty bandits then. There were ten bandits patrolling the parapet, probably waiting for us after figuring out the two couldn't survive be themselves, let alone with each other. </p><p>"I have a plan. We wait for dusk, that's when guards get tired and make mistakes. I'll take care of the ones on the wall, you kill off the ones who survive the fall. Got it?" <br/>Sean nods. "Got it boss." Good at least he won't be too much of a distraction. <br/>I prepare my grappling hook. Making a loop at the end in order to fit around the parapet spikes<br/>I silently swarm up the wall and ready my grappling hook. Now I just have to wait for a victim. A minute passed before they came to me spot. I hung the end of the grappling hook around one of the spikes subtly, then I whipped the hook at the poor bastard. It wrapped around his throat twice and I yanked him off the wall.<br/>He fell for ten feet before the rope went taunt, spinning his body once. Then friction failed and the hook raced across his throat, tearing violently through flesh and leaving his windpipe easily visible from two ends. Finally his corpse reached the ground, breaking quietly against the high grass surrounding the fort.<br/>"<em>One down, a few more to go</em>" I whispered. I shimmied along the wall until i met my next victim. Sean followed ten feet away, probably not wanting another blood bath from every artery in the neck.<br/>He fell and met a slightly more gruesome fate. Instead of ripping his throat out, it tore through the back of his skull. At least he died quickly. I watched his grey matter slowly drain out the new opening as he hung limply from his skull. "<em>Not every day you see that.<em>" I watched Sean stare on in horrified fascination. <br/>Dropping from the wall I removed my gory grappling hook and set up the wall once more. </em></em></p><p>
  <em>
    <em>In 5 minutes the wall was empty, and there was only a single close call. I had missed once, and had to run the man through while he was still surprised. The strike to the arm only stunned him before he left the wall head first to join his fellows in the afterlife. Otherwise it was a flawless cleansing. <br/>After I finished admiring my work I got on top of the wall for the second time. Time to open the gate and let Sean in. </em>
  </em>
</p><p>
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  </em>
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    <em>The mechanism wasn't completely useless thank the gods. All I had to do was winch the sucker up and let my partner in. <br/>"Damn this thing's fucking stiff. C'mon MOVE!" And with that final grunt of exertion the gate opened up enough to allow Sean in. <br/>The slim high elf crawled under the now stuck gate and joined me on the inside. "Ready to kill some bandits and rescue hostages?"<br/>What greeted me was a savage smile. "I'm more than ready to burn some people."</em>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <em>With that the raid started. I left Sean to be a distraction while I found and freed our other members. <br/>Running straight into the chaos covered in blood, guts and brain matter, I was like a demon set upon the world. Laughing like a banshee gone mad. Blades flashing as two poor souls engaged upon me. "YES, YES, YES! LET ME FEAST UPON YOU CARCASS TOO!" The fear in their eyes as they realized my form and seeming madness was something beautiful to behold. Too soon were they cut down and left on the ground. <br/>I saw a light rhythmically flash under a door and knew it to be my allies. The bard liked dancing lights and seemed determined to make the most of his cantrip. <br/>Slamming the door open I exclaimed, "FINALLY FOUND YOU!" Alas their guards had left to combat myself and the fires made to rage by the pyromantic wizard. However the cleric and bard still startled at my appearance. <br/>"Oh, hello again you two. Where are the keys?" <br/>"Behind the door, and can I ask what in Torm's name happened to you?!" <br/>"Seriously like what the actual heck happened"<br/>I casually got behind the door and grabbed the keys before tossing them at the Cleric. "I happened to them, Now come on we have to grab you stuff and finish this scum off." <br/>They made haste in releasing themselves from their bindings and following my crimson stained form from the prison. <br/>Only to find the camp empty of all but one wizard who was with fire. "I take it you got the rest?" <br/>"Yep" was the reply with a popped p.<br/>Good, lets find where they were stashing their loot and get those two requiped."<br/>We spilt up and searched for nary five minutes before we found their hoard. As well as a hidden trap door. And a ladder leading down. With a pair of bootprints headed towards it. "Fuck. Everyone armor up, we can't let them escape!"<br/>What followed was a three minute mad dash through a darkened tunnel until we finally breached the surface. During that time I elected to ask the two what had resulted in their capture. <br/>"He killed my snake!"<br/>"It bit me and it was dark outside, it's your snakes fault!"<br/>"Bullshit!"<br/>"It was your idea to cook the eagle! I didn't know that many animals would show up!"<br/>"Neither did I but at least I didn't leave you to be mauled by a badger!"<br/>How's it my fault that you couldn't climb a tree-"</em>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <em>This went on until we found the exit. At which point I politely asked them to be quiet. "Please for the love of the gods could you both shut up! We're at the exit."<br/>It was clear to see where the bandits had gone, their prints clear as day. Leading straight towards a castle.<br/>It's walls were a pristine white stone that was obviously well maintained. It had arrow slits, towers, a spire near the center, the walls were without handholds and a well kept portcullis as well. The wall was manned by guards in full plate, bearing torches and crossbows. This was a well funded castle in use, but nobody had heard hide nor hair of this structure. I was well traveled and there was not even a rumor of a castle here. There was no river or stream to maintain it and the forest grew within 10 feet of the wall. 'So they have no outside food source or water source besides hunting potentially. Maybe they had a well or grew grain internally?'</em>
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  <em>
    
  </em>
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    <em>I don't know how or why they set up in the middle of a forest or why they were allied with bandits but it was clear that they had gained entry. "Come on we'll have to ask for entry, we can't let bandits walk free."<br/>However upon approaching the wall we were asked to state our name and purpose. "We are adventurers. Acdan Silverwood." <br/>"Zargon" bellowed out the cleric.<br/>"Sean" called the wizard.<br/>"Franz Ferdinand" called out the odd and flamboyant bard.<br/>"We don't recognize those names. Leave or be killed!" <br/>"Hold sir we just-"<br/>"FIRE!" With the call of the knight we were met with a hailstorm of bolts. We quickly fled into the foliage to plan our next move.</em>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <em>"What in the name of the Platinum Dragon is wrong with them. They're insane!"<br/>Sudden Franz spoke up. "I've got an idea, we set fire to the forest. That lures them out and we can attack them while they deal with the fire." <br/>Surprisingly I was the only one to object. "Okay you know what I'll just watch and harass any knights I see in the forest." With that we took a long rest, myself sore from a few injuring I had sustained, Zargon from the beating he received on his way to the camp, and Franz from his beating at the hands of Zargon prior to their capture.</em>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <em>Thus the night closed on the party. What events will follow? That is still unclear.</em>
  </em>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Acdan might just have an aneurysm if this keeps up.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Felt Bored, Might Kill A God.</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>It's time for his weekly meeting with his favorite Archfiend. Then he gets a short quest from her.<br/>"Killing a god? Sounds easy enough."</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>My DM had no idea how the Hells worked before accidentally throwing us in there. This has resulted in more chill devils who just want to keep the demons out of their place, Archfiends who are considerably more friendly, a few mix ups regarding some other things and my character offering a summer home for the Archfiend in the material plane. It was his first campaign and he figured things out throughout the campaign. Still one of my favorites to this day.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Well I figured it was only a matter of time before the Pale Night tried to get me to clean up the dragon infestation in the Hells. Good thing I had a bomb charging for 2 centuries.</p><p>The Pale Night was an ethereal being with a veil over her face. Her body was slightly transparent and looked to be like that of beautiful woman. Her clothes consisted of a pale evening dress that faded towards her knees.</p><p>She came as she always did for their weekly chats. The summoning stone I had worked on with my wizard friend, Sean, functioning perfectly.</p><p> We always chatted in infernal, I needed to keep my language skills sharp and she preferred it to common.</p><p>"Hello my dear friend! How has it been ruling the 1st level of the Hells? Any new devils promoted that I need to meet?" I smiled at my old friend.</p><p>We had met after Sean had opened a semi permanent portal to the Divine gates and Hells using magic restricted to a tome that could save the world or destroy it yet again. It took 2 days to take care of closing it. I had ended up stuck with her due to the unfortunate fact I was on top of the space he made the portal on. It had been incredibly awkward at first. Luckily I convinced her not to kill me and made her a pleasant cabin in the woods with a flaming throne. Gods that felt it was just like yesterday.</p><p>"Nothing so exciting, just a loyal imp becoming a chain devil. I believe their name was Gdnevtal."</p><p>"Ah he was a good one, always so excitable and eager. I'm glad he's moved up."</p><p>The Pale Night leaned forward. There might have been a frown on her face but I wasn't checking because that could kill me. "Yes, but I also have some more important news regarding Tiamat. Her followers have finally found the courage to attack the Hells en mass to try and free her."</p><p>I sucked air through my teeth, "Shit. How many were lost?" 'Asmodeus was going to be fucking pissed and less devils meant problems with demons.' Internally I was worried about my friend, she was the leader of the first level and I didn't want her her to engage in combat with a bunch of dragons and cultists if she didn't have to.</p><p>"Close to 2,000. They managed to gather a small host of dragons of many colors." 'Damnit. This could be bad. Devils were needed to kill off the demons that tried to invade the material plane. A hit like that to their armies wasn't good.' I knew that I had to do something. How had the cultists even managed to get more than 2 dragons under one banner? They were far to independent so they must have something? Maybe their children? Gold? Or maybe Tiamat herself had made some sort of offer. It mattered not at the moment.</p><p>"What's the plan?" 'I know how bad this could end up if they try to remove every bit of potential opposition.' I didn't want to have to deal with demons they were pure destruction without reason and would absolutely ruin this plane.</p><p>"We're going to have you destroy them all at once preferably Tiamat included. That will break their spirits and remove any reason to attack the Hells in suck a way again. We wouldn't be opposed to the destruction of her as well. We've already forced them to retreat once, they'll gather their forces again before making another attempt. It will take time for them to gather more troops and-"</p><p>"In the meantime you can leave just enough forces to put up a small defense and let me know when they've all arrived. Then you want me to do what I did to the Tarrasque. It's a good plan. Give me 3 days to gather what I need. Make sure you've evacuated the rest of Avernus. What I did last time will look like Light compared to Sunlight."</p><p>God's could be killed, if their body was destroyed and their enough of their followers left at the same time. This made the fools all gathering to free their queen extremely risky. I was happily going to take advantage of that.</p><p>She nods, "Glad to see you're in agreement. What will be the payment this time?" We tended to deals one at a time in order to make sure that debts were paid and there was no potential for disagreements. It also allowed both of them to talk somewhat often but neither would admit that was a factor.</p><p>I thought for a second. "Permanent non restrictive access to your power like a warlock would have. Consider us even for everything after that."</p><p>The archfiend thought it over for a second. 'He had a number of favors waiting around and he wouldn't prove too much a strain on her power. He was also her first ever friend and she wasn't sure she wanted any other Archfiends interacting with him.'</p><p>
  <b>'Do it.'</b>Asmodeus apparently agreed to it so she really didn't have a choice now. "I accept your offer, get ready my friend. You have a god to kill." She stuck out her hand towards me.</p><p>I began grinning, "I'm looking forward to it." I sealed our transaction with a shaking of hands. As I felt new power flow through my veins a thought dominated my mind, 'Time to kill a god.'</p><p>It's always been considered extremely odd that I had personally befriended an archfiend and the entirety of her level of hell despite being a personal friend of 2 of the gods and a naturally good person. Maybe it had to do with the free throne and being kind to everyone I can? But I digress, in three days I was going to kill Tiamat.<br/>
Asmodeus had ordered most of his minions out of the level she was on, well aware that I don't tend to exaggerate about damage and well aware that I had created something far too powerful. I mean all I had to do drop a spherical mirror with the reflective side facing inwards holding two centuries worth of compressed light.

'I wonder if it's compressed enough to replicate the effect of that anomaly in space I'd recently been observing?' I had noticed a strange warping through a spell enhanced telescope. It seemed to be surrounded by multiple other stars that were some distance away from the point of nothing. I was intrigued but I couldn't study it right now. Right now the Mirror Sphere was impossibly heavy for it's size, when I tried to remove it from the bag of holding I could only touch it, I couldn't begin to imagine moving it. I would need to turn the bag upside down emptying the entire bag. There was also a notable warping around it whenever I tried to summon it, so it was a definite possibly that it would ruin the entire plane of existence. I'm pretty sure it would have broken a long time ago if it hadn't been reinforced using Wish. The only way to break it now was for it to intentionally have dispel magic cast on it at 4th level.

'Hopefully it just ravages the plane. Even if it doesn't kill the god I can still make a return trip.' I had another powerful weapon of extreme destruction up my sleeve. Creation. It is so useful with the antimatter I'd seen in pandemonium. I could make five cubic feet of temporary pure deletion at the cost of a 5th level spell! And any living things that were consumed and returned stayed dead at the cellular level. It was absolutely amazing!</p><p>The Mirror Sphere was one of my most deadly creations and extremely simple. Eternal flame constantly gives off light and that light didn't just disappear. Combine this with adamantine enchanted to perfectly reflect light and you had a bomb that was constantly growing more powerful until the moment of it's detonation. This was something that would ensure all parties were destroyed with no trace left. This would kill me when I used it.</p><p>I first gave the idea of an eternal flame to a wizard friend of mine. We both wondered what would happen, then we found the answer a bit later.</p><p>When I last used one of the two 100 years ago against the Tarrasque the light had been seen in almost every city on the material plane and even the gods took notice of the extravagant display of power. The desert had been turned to glass and every piece of clothing had evaporated, the same applied to his body and the creature. Good thing I had made a clone beforehand. </p><p> </p><p>I was looking forward to getting rid of the God. Mostly because her followers were always annoying me, making cults and the chromatic dragons eventually got to big for their britches and tried to attack the capital every decade or so. Then her followers had attacked my friend's plane of rule. That had sealed her doom.<br/>
Finally I would break the spirits of the evil dragons and possibly have a few centuries of peace before I got to die of old age.</p><p>I set about emptying the bag of holding with the bomb of everything but it's payload and then set out to buy a set of travelers clothes. I wouldn't want to destroy anything nice else nice. I reached the general shop and waved to the owner. </p><p>It was nice to see Cole again. His wife always got on him about how he wasn't making enough these days so I made sure to drop silently roll a silver piece behind the counter while he was distracted checking the prices. </p><p>"hey Cole, how's business treating you today?"
"It's been okay, had a few customers so it's not a wasted day"
I grinned back at him, "That's the spirit bud. Making coin is always a positive"
"So what are you buying today?" 
"Traveling clothes. Going on a trip with my friend and I don't want to wear the fancy stuff because it'll make me feel like I'm flaunting my wealth."
"Ah, always trying to keep the same as everyone else eh?" He had a smile in his eyes.
I responded with a flamboyant tone, "Oh no you filthy peasant, I just don't wish to get assaulted by some ruffians while I drink the tears of children from a crystal goblet." I was holding my nose up in false disdain, trying not to burst out laughing.
Cole adopted a exaggerated accent and followed my lead, "Ah, course mister. Wouln't want ya teh get shanked in a alley now would ya"
There was a pregnant pause before we both burst out laughing. "Thanks I needed that, wooo that was great!"
"Yeah, I never get to do that anymore so thanks." We shared a smile and I paid for my garments.
"Have a good day Cole, tell the misses I said hi."<br/>
He chuckles and waves back. "I'll be sure to my lord."</p><p>I sigh internally. I'd been trying to get them to stop calling my royalty since I came to power 150 years ago. At least people didn't panic and grovel anytime they saw me so that's progress. The first 3 years of that had been so annoying. Here it was okay but other kingdoms I had taken in this past century still got nervous around me. 
Merging kingdoms down on their luck into my own had been the first part of growing my influence, then came negotiation with the few kingdoms that sought to intimidate the seemingly passive kingdom I headed. I broke two of their armies before they learned that attacking the kingdom ruled by a legendary hero who had 2 centuries to hone their skills was a bad idea. From there it was terms of surrender and oaths of allegiance before being given the crown by the sons of the old rulers. After that it was typical court negotiation and bargaining for the rest of the small communities around my expanding borders. Then the real fun began. Playing the courts of large kingdoms against each other before swooping in and taking power, the citizens cheering for me as I fixed their problems. Ah, good times.</p><p>While I may not have conquered the world with good intentions alone, that doesn't mean I was a cruel or unjust leader. I created a system of taxation that took into consideration the monetary means of the household and then worked from there.
I was beginning to integrate the different races into society in order to stem racial violence and prejudice.
I had specialized people's use there talents to the best of their ability. Dwarves were great stone-cutters, kobolds were great tunnelers, they made a great sewer system together.
I was even planning a system of education for those who wished to pursue knowledge at differing levels and a generalized educational system for those in areas of lower population. 
So far my social reforms had been working but a large chunk of local governments seemed determined to irritate me by making every effort to buck the rules. Trying to prove human or elvish superiority, treating other races like second class citizens.
I had expected this however, I was still somewhat young by the standards of elves and a child to most dragons. Most people couldn't even determine my actual race anymore. I just hoped people would get their heads out of their asses eventually.</p>
<h5>Three days later</h5><p>"Okay everything is ready. Just going to plane shift there again." I had already wandered every part of the Hells as a bit of a vacation around my 70th birthday. I was bored and the devils knew who I was and "served" under. Visiting the evil dragon god hadn't been to exciting the first time but I knew it was going to be a party this time.
I grinned evilly at the thought of killing the bitch that brought her deranged servants who pissed off my friends and endangered my plane of existence.<br/>
After 30 years of constant study I had finally managed to reach the level of skill required to cast 8th level spells. I lightly touched the tuning rod to the floor, then my chest before speaking in the language of magic.
I managed to drop the tuning rod right as I plane shifted myself to the location I had chosen. A grim smile graced my lips. I was ready to die for the 4th time. I took a minute to check that I was close enough to my foe. Yes there she was, the multi-headed draconic incarnation of evil, a mere 200 feet away. </p><p>I called out to the soon to be dead God. I always liked to have a chat and riling her up while she still couldn't reach me seemed like a fun idea. "Hello again Dragon Queen. It's quite a lovely day isn't it. On the material plane birds are singing, flower are blooming forth, and yet here you are trapped in the Hells. You should really go out and get some sun. Oh wait that's right, you're trapped here, away from the object of your hate."<br/>
A hate filled snarl was the first part of her response. Then her heads spoke all at once in discordant tones but each shared the same message, "<b>When I am free I shall crush you like the ant you are and take what is rightfully mine! Beg for mercy now and I'll consider killing you quickly insect.</b>" She strained to attack me, trying her hardest to reach me, but I was too far. 'Temping Gods is truly a good idea sometimes, it distracts them from the reason you're there and fills them with rage that pushes all thoughts but my death away'</p><p>Listening to her scream about my demise at her hands, or rather claws, was oddly cathartic. 'Hmmm, I might need to think about what that could mean.'</p><p>'Hopefully I won't have to wait too long for a devil to use sending to alert me that the enemy has begun their approach.' While she screamed curses and obscenities I began searching for a good camping spot. I got up and left Tiamat's line of sight before spending a minute finding a place to cast Leomund's tiny hut for my stay in here, the temperature regulation would be nice to have in the extreme heat that was oft present in Avernus. It also served as a safeguard in the event that they tried a stealthy approach. I doubted they would though, dragons are prideful anything less than declaring absolute victory would be unacceptable.</p><p>In the mean time I walked around checking out the first level of the Hells. 'Yep hadn't changed much in 130 years. Ah well devils don't really need to change things up when things seem to be working well enough as it is, barring the current circumstances I suppose.' I began to think about my friend and her subtle changes in demeanor. 'I wonder how she's doing, I'm pretty sure devils can't be happy for long periods of time but our meeting always seemed to cheer her up. That's good enough for me, and more than enough of a reason to do this.' I don't think I could feel much of anything romantic. I was still fairly young for an elf at 237 considering our typical lifespan reached towards 750. Or their might be something genuinely wrong that needed fixing. Thoughts for later.</p><p>As I sat around spying on the God chained and shackled here I began to wonder what I should do after this. 'I mean I'm probably going to kill a God soon or at least injure her badly enough to finish it off with the next visit. What do the other Gods think. What did they want my to do?' I didn't know anymore. Not since the God narrating everything and giving me random migraines left. He was like a constant until I finally put a stop to the cycle of universal destruction and recreation, then I finally got my silence. 'I was free to do whatever I wanted. I didn't have to fix society, I chose to. I didn't have to help out here, I chose to. I didn't have to be her friend, but I wanted to.' These thoughts filled my head in Avernus. 'Heh the only times I was free to just think were in the Hells. I should vacation here more often, might find enlighten.' </p><p>After walking around for an hour I went back to camp. 'I wonder if they're proud of me? Zargon, Sean, Burt. One died of old age, the second gave their soul to stop the madness taking the world by storm, and the third disappeared without a trace. Gods I'm sad... or fucked in the head. Well at least I'm honoring their memories and still saving the world.' A mirthless chuckle followed. 'When do I get to rest? When can I just let the world sort itself out without me there to guide it. Dad was right, I either care too much and not at all.'</p><p>'Mom... Dad... I hope you're proud of me. I'm fixing the world so what happened to you won't happen again. Maybe I've done something to fix this fucked up place.' </p><p> </p><p>-<br/>Yennifer, Mom, and Keisler, Dad, had been a good human couple who had found me hiding in a tree from the pack of dire wolves that had killed my parents and my older sister Filsare. They managed to slay the beasts in time to save me, but... they were to late for my family... They were my reason for becoming a Ranger and roaming the forests. I would protect people by taming nature and bending it to my will so that it could be safe and hunt beasts before they got out of control and hurt anyone else. These thoughts in the mind of a child became my steel clad vow. </p><p>It was 2 days before my 35th birthday when it happened. Mom was in her 57 and Dad was 62. They were getting older and I was taking care of the hunting for them. They were going into town to stock up on food trade the furs for a bit of coin. They left around noon and took our the giant spider, Stumpy, dad had tamed a few years back. They left at 7. They didn't come back. <br/>I waited until nightfall before I started jogging down the path, praying to whatever gods I knew that they were okay.<br/>It was half an hour before I saw then. Stumpy was full of arrows, he wasn't bleeding anymore. Dad had a stab wound right were his heart should be and his kind face was cut up. Mom was tied naked to a tree, her throat was slit and her face was in a silent scream. Everything was gone. Their furs, what few coins they had, their weapons. Everything.</p><p>I lost something that day. I felt something deep inside my soul break as the sound my screams deafened the heavens and shook the very world. "<em>RAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH<em>" The world would know my fury as I tore asunder the ones who did this with blade, spell and body. Never again I let someone be taken from me, the very gods would not steal away those I claimed as family. Nothing could stop me. The only ones who cared enough to do so were gone.</em><br/>-</em></p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>'My family, only time can steal you away from me now. I have accepted that.' Yet the misguided followers of a two bit goddess who got herself stuck in Avernus thought they could steal away my friend? There would be nothing even written in remembrance of their folly.</em>
</p><p> I had just stopped my trance when I heard a scratchy voice in my head "They're back, started our route and it should be half an hour before they reach you. Show em what happens when they with Our Lady." 
I clapped my hands together and a truly evil grin found itself on my face. 'Finally it's show time!' time passed and I prepared myself, 'No dragon or God shall threaten me. I have killed my fears too long again for them to have risen again.' The first ones two arrive were a pair of ancient red and black dragons. As I watched the scene more were still rapidly approaching the prison of the Dragon Queen. A veritable rainbow of malice and hate, fueled by a lust for power. It was another five minutes passed before the swarm was fully before me.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>I took bellowing of the last arriving dragon as my cue to leave my sanctuary. I took a step out and most hadn't noticed me yet. I truly loved having Pass Without Trace. I immediately turned my bag of holding upside down and out crashed the bomb of impossible power. It created a small crater with it's unceremonious drop to the floor, embedding itself in the ground, and a very loud ringing of rock against metal was heard. The objects' very presence creating waves in my vision and distorting what was visible. </p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>I was ready to kill these fucks. I was always ready to die again. 'Let's light it up you dragon fucks.' I yelled out in draconic, "Goodbye idiots, I won't miss you messing with my stuff in the slightest." As I said that I cast Dispell Magic and literal tons light exploded out from the object with more strength than a hundred nuclear blasts could hope to mimic.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>According to the devils, the light was seen on each level of Baator. Blinding denizens of the second and third layer. Asmodeus himself had seen the spectacular explosion from his dwelling. The entirety of Avernus was bathed in pure white light. Everything from the floor to the stone glowing with the heat that the absorbed light generated, rock becoming dripping magma and metal flowing liquid as the very air turned to plasma. Even red dragons, through resistant to heat, could not withstand the radiant assault that would scorch the sun itself. The force of the expanding light shredded all creatures present, rippling apart each and every creature with more efficacy than Disintegrate could hope to achieve. Tiamat was destroyed, utterly as her very atoms were shotgunned away from the epicenter of the blast. All those who had raided the Hells were disassembled by the force and those who were still partially intact were evaporated by the heat of the powerful display. Demons could no longer enter Avernus as they would in a typical attempt to invade, they would instantly be slain by the killing heat that would remain for years.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>In a basement hidden within a chateau in the woods, surrounded by plants called gympie-gympie, there was a elf with the scales of a dragon, trapped in suspended animation within a glass capsule. My clone twitched a finger, then I awoke in my newest body.
Out I crawled of my capsule. Escaping into the air I took in a greedy lungful of oxygen. 'Gods I hated that. Hopefully it's the last time.'<br/>
Thus ends the story of how I, Acdan Silverwood, killed a God and utterly destroyed her servants.</p>
<p>
  <em></em>
</p><h5>Fin</h5><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Dear, Viridia is calling for you."</em>
</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Okay sweetheart, I'll be down in just a moment"</em>
</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I wonder who that was.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. War was once mortal</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>What do have when you use violence as a maladaptive coping mechanism, meet 2 people considerably younger and more inexperienced, fight a war and try to deal with resurfacing trauma? A Wood Elf monk who desperately needs a therapist.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>The world is almost out of resources and there are too many problems to count with the people.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>17th<br/>
Another job today. Some monks at one of the larger temples wanted to hire me despite the cost, I would have done it for free for them. They are some of the last good people in this hellscape.<br/>
Met up with the other hires at the tavern. They are fucking kids. Sure they are adults in body but I can see the innocence in their eyes. They should not be here, too soft, too much like her.<br/>
The lord has been stealing pilgrims, peaceful monks minding their own Godsdamn business and conscripting them by force. It makes me sick. The client wants us to save his people and try to remove the bastard. I can not wait to tear his throat out and shove his dismembered fingers down it.<br/>
The Aasimar, Zaria, is a fresh descendant, another pawn the gods made to do their dirty work while they sit back and watch. The other one is human, Dolly, she wants to be a singer… I can see the pact on her shoulder, hear her whispers to whatever she sold herself to. The servants of gods and demons at my sides on this mission. I pray to Bahamut we survive.</p><p>19th<br/>
The Aasimar almost broke down today, she had to kill some bandits for the first time. We had met a caravan on the road, and said that there were bandits up ahead that demanded a “tax” for safe passage. They offered us decent pay to scare them off or remove them. The fight was over fast. I asked them to surrender and two did, turns out I had found two of the monks earlier than expected. The others fell to the Dolly’s magic and the Zaria’s smite. Turns out this was a point of extortion for the lord… we found the camp and two holy relics stolen from an unearthed monastery. I told the paladin to take them for now, she could return them to the monks later and restore them to their rightful place.</p><p>21st<br/>
We had another fight with some of the fuckers the lord hired, they were sinking cargo ships and enslaving the survivors for who knows what. The thane of the nearby village hired us to remove them. He wants to recruit us to rally against the lord. He sent us with one of his lieutenants to remove the men manning the ballista that was taking ships. Our temporary member was… interesting, when we engaged the enemy he made an odd pose and whispered something before the enemy he was facing was basically turned to red mist, I’m glad he’s on our side.  We freed the captives and managed to capture one of the men manning the weapon. Zaria was so bogged down in self doubt that she nearly lost an eye in the fight. Myself and Dolly have tried to help her realize that this needs to happen for things to get better, I’m not sure if she completely understands.</p><p>22nd<br/>
We are on the water now. We are making a supply run near a pirate outpost. The kids are so tired. The pirates are decent mercs, I have probably still got contacts so I will fix up my weapons at the smith and let the kids unwind at the tavern.<br/>
There’s a reclamation shop, apparently some fools have tried to challenge the dragon ruling over the place. Least their parts are not going to waste. Paid the blacksmith in booze and worked with her to make a new staff that I can spin down into half its length, I think I’ll be getting some good use out of it soon.<br/>
Shit almost hit the fan, some of the lord's men came in on a decent sized ship, started harassing the townspeople before getting told off. When they tried to leave the pirates rose a chain to damage the hull and get it sinking before firing some heavier weapons to finish off the dieing boat.</p><p>23rd<br/>
I… I do not know how to start this.<br/>
We made landfall at our destination port and I decided to buy some foxglove for poisoning and healing. I was going to teach the kids a bit of medicine that I had picked up during my time as a mercenary. We had to be interviewed by an inquisitor to buy it due to concerns about assaination attempts on the lord. Changed my breathing up to throw my heartbeat off for a bit and he bought it. We were on our way to pick it up with him from someplace when a battle broke out, protesters against the lord got violent against the guard.<br/>
The inquisitor caught an arrow shaft in the chest. I tried to help, set up a triage, used what little medicinal knowledge I had from my time treating other wounded mercs. I... I could not do enough. A guard swung at me and I had to defend myself. I told them over and over that I did not want to hurt anyone here, I just wanted to get some medicine, but only one listened and backed off. I had to put down two of the ones in plate mail before Dolly dropped from the fucking sky to bisect one and the two left that had tried to attack us finally stopped.<br/>
I felt awful, but I could not just leave because the battle was still going. I knew how to stop it, but I did not want to do it. I rolled through the blood to cover myself in it before growling so low that I almost even thought myself a demon. It was enough to get most of them to stop, they stared in awe and fear. I feel slightly disgusted with myself for enjoying the feeling of power that it gave me. I pointed at the triage and most of them got the message. I growled at the rest to disperse and they did. I went up to the manner and enlisted more guards to help with the triage. The streets were full of blood, every surface was crimson and there were too many bodies to count at the time. All the while I tried not to be saddened at the pointless loss of life.<br/>
Cleaners appeared shortly, white cloths were filled with blood and taken away.The captain of the guard saw us, offered to show us to the Baron and have him give us a reward for breaking up the fight so quickly. He said it was a common occurrence, common enough to plant crops around.<br/>
The baron was a fucking vampire with a full standing guard of more vampires. Dolly was cowering behind Zaria who was also terrified herself. So it fell to me to guard the kids. I put away my fear and every other emotion before smiling and making polite conversation. Apparently he believes himself to be a respectable vampire of upstanding moral standards, claiming that all the power hungry monsters intent on ruling the world were locked in some place called “Barovia”. He took my continued conversation as an invitation to rifle through my mind and found out that we were hired to kill his superior. Thank the gods he wanted the bastard dead too. He offered an alliance with use to take the lord down, along with some allies that we would meet later that night.<br/>
We went back to the ship to rest. Dolly is cracking, she is jumping at shadows and she looks so fucking scared. I am going to protect these kids, I will paint a fucking target on my back for them if I have to. I choose to be mercenary, but them? They were forced into it by some bullshit higher powers. They should not have to deal with vampire barons and wanton murder. Zaria is not better than Dolly, she is in a constant state of unease and fear. I have heard and seen the beginnings of breakdowns. Both of them are falling victim to mounting fear. I am not strong enough to protect them from everything… I fear I will lose them just like my sister.</p><p>Our other new allies are drow. There is a forest full of them hidden behind the baron’s manor. I have counted more than 30 dryders in the trees. Not to mention the enhanced ones guarding the queen of the colony and the prince. The girls would not stop shaking from fear. They had a full breakdown when we went to the ship for the last time…</p><p>24th<br/>
We planned a raid on the lord’s keep. The vampires would take out three patrols and replace them in  order to get into the keep. Then they would set fire to the barracks and any black powder they had to cause a massive distraction. We would slip in in the chaos. Me and the girls would ambush our own patrol to get armor and get easier access to the keep.<br/>
The patrols were better equipped than predicted and I almost went down 3 times making sure none of them could touch my kids… It made me think of a better way to protect them.</p><p> </p><p>Date unknown.<br/>
It all went wrong so fucking fast.<br/>
The lord transformed himself into some kind of demon and started attacking us the moment we entered his chambers. I made sure to have him focused on me the entire time. Dolly took a couple hard hits because I was not good enough, and Zaria could not heal me reliably. I almost bit it a couple times, but I finally managed to get the finishing blow. Unfortunately the fucker had a contingency plan and detonated himself. We all died in the blast. I saw the reaper myself, Thanatos the god of death, before he grabbed my soul and it burned like nothing could ever hope to match.<br/>
We woke up on some cots in the vampire camp whole and intact. The lady with us was terrified upon our waking, running for the baron. We should have stayed dead, I should have been with my sister.<br/>
There were three important changes upon our revival. On Dolly’s arm there looked to be a patch of disease riddled flesh, on Zaria’s arm there were sunken bones like that of a starved woman and on mine there was an impossibly detailed tattoo of swords clashing with a single upright blade topped by a helm. It struck then. Pestilence, Famine, War. I knew then that my life had changed forever impossibly and irreversibly.<br/>
They broke then. Dolly sobbed, Zaria gave into despair. I uselessly tried to comfort them to no avail. The baron appeared and said what we already knew, we were dead before. That is when we heard the screams from the front of the camp. I rose from hugging Dolly and ran, fueled by rage at and fury that burned my veins, determined to destroy whatever would dare to harm these people who had honored us enough to retrieve our mangled bodies, who would not give rest to my traumatized teammates. Then I beheld a nightmarish visage. It was as if a warhorse and man had utterly fused and were then stripped of their skin, leaving only gleaming muscles and sinew that spoke of its unnatural power. It was followed by two skeletal horses and a macabre carriage fashioned solely from the bones of the damned.<br/>
The creature said that we were the new riders of the apocalypse. The other two had arrived at some point. We were all silent before we asked to collect our few possessions. In that time I sought the baron. I knew what I needed to do to be strong enough to protect them next time. Vampirism may damn me in mortal eyes but if that was the strength I needed then so be it. Only before I had found him, I had realized that my body had already changed itself to achieve my wish.<br/>
Once we were ready we boarded the carriage. I saw Bahamut. He told me what I had become, the Horseman of War.  We are above the gods and could even fight against them. I was an avatar of violence, but I would still be me. I have been given the power to determine the growth of this world. I had the power to incite conflict, build and keep lasting peace, I could be a harbinger of untold horror or work to heal the world. What the Hells am I meant to do now?</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I'm in full support of the vampire baron who decided to move to a town with constant exceedingly bloody conflict in order to establish a town full of vampires who mostly just vibe and harvest the spilt blood from said conflict.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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